Amid Cultural Shifts, Nebraskans Wrestle with Fault Lines and Look to Build Bridges

WASHINGTON, Nov. 12, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Amid demographic and cultural shifts that are changing communities in Nebraska and the country, a new survey explores the fault lines resulting from these changes and the bridges being built across the divides.

"Nebraskans are more likely than Americans overall to be born in the U.S. and to live in the community in which they grew up, but they are simultaneously more likely than Americans overall to report that they live in a community with many new immigrants," notes PRRI CEO Robert P. Jones. "Like Americans overall, Nebraskans are divided starkly along party lines over the meaning and future implications of these changes."

A Changing Nebraska

Nearly half (46%) of Nebraskans live in the communities where they grew up, compared to (33%) of Americans. A majority (52%) say they have spent their entire lives in the state, while another 25% have lived in the state for 20 or more years.

Almost one in four Nebraskans (24%) say they live in a community with many new immigrants, and an additional 37% say they live in a community with at least some new immigrants—rates significantly higher than Americans overall.

Nebraskans, Diversity, and the Workplace

A significant minority of Nebraskans say they seldom or never interact with someone who does not share their race or ethnicity (15%), political party (15%), religion (19%), or sexual orientation (25%).

Among Nebraskans who have interactions with people of different backgrounds, they are most likely to report having them in the workplace. Sixty-three percent of Nebraskans say they have interactions with people of different racial and ethnic backgrounds in the workplace—more than any other social gathering place by nearly 15 points.

Notable Observations

• Almost half (48%) of Nebraskans mostly agreed with the statement, "I would prefer the U.S. to be a nation made up of people from all over the world."
• Less than one in ten (7%) agreed with the statement, "I would prefer the U.S. to be a nation primarily made up of people from Western European heritage."
• Nearly one in five (18%) prefer the U.S. "to be a nation primarily made up of people who follow the Christian faith."
• Approximately six in ten (58%) say the state is going in the right direction, while 41% say it has gotten off on the wrong track.

SOURCE PRRI